Student Accommodation

With Central Applications Office (CAO) points published yesterday, the latest downward trend in prices for rented accommodation will be welcome news for cash strapped parents and both new and returning college students.

A typical student renting a double-room in Dublin could now expect to save up to €1,000 on average, over the course of the coming academic year. Two-bedroom properties in counties Galway and Limerick are being offered at similar saving.

Rental accommodation is also continuing a downward spiral across Co.Tipperary both North and South, with costs down by 12.6% compared with this time last year. The average monthly rent in County Tipperary now stands at approximately €623, a drop of almost €100 monthly on the previous year, while the national average rent now stands at just over €800 per month,

All universities and many other education institutions provide on-campus student residences, in effect a ‘Student Village’ with standard services such as security, Internet coverage and parking etc.

Living with other students may help to offset loneliness and homesickness and if you wish to be right at the heart of college life, then on-campus accommodation is the place to be. Potential disadvantages, and there are a few, include  distractions from study which is a feature of the average vibrant student village. There are likely also to be restrictions to your social life, by the prohibition of friends staying over or staying late.

The renting of ‘Digs’ or ‘Host Family’ accommodation is a good option for students who are young or living away from home for the first time. Besides having their own room, students are normally provided with morning and evening meals, and are generally treated as one of the family by those who provide this type of service. This type of accommodation also lifts certain worries by parents, who feel that students could neglect their overall well being.

Students who wish to be more independent will of course opt for finding renting private accommodation. This is the ideal form of residence if you wish to immerse yourself in the life and culture of the city/town where your college is located, and now with the drop in rents you should be able to find good quality accommodation at a reasonable price close to your college campus.

Word of warning however, be sure to familiarise yourself completely with the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants before entering into any rental agreement.
A visit to the housing section of www.citizensinformation.ie will assist with the latter and avoid problems later on.